by Every, Donna
“Shari, relax,” he said for what seemed like the hundredth time.
“Why can’t you just drive slower?” She countered.
“Why buy a Porsche if you’re not going to get the most out of it?”
“I’m sorry I agreed to drive with you,” she threw at him.
Shari’s comment jolted Nick. She was right. He was being totally selfish and enjoying his new toy even though he knew she hated fast driving. He slowed the powerful car to the speed limit. He was once again being the rock star, doing what he wanted and getting what he wanted without thought of anyone else. Old habits were hard to break.
“I’m sorry, Shari.” He pried her hand from the seat and held it in his. “You’re right. I’m being selfish. Will you forgive me?” He brought their joined hands to his lips and kissed the back of hers.
“I will, if you promise to stay at the speed limit.” He agreed.
Now that Nick had slowed down, she could relax as he had urged her to do all through the drive and actually enjoy the scenery. She loved the warmth of California and she’d already fallen in love with Nick’s house. They’d driven around the town yesterday and then come back to swim in the pool and soak up the sun.
Nick had been true to his word and did not touch her at all, although she could practically feel his gaze burning through his sunglasses when she slipped off her wrap and plunged into the pool. He had quickly followed, claiming that he needed the equivalent of a cold shower. He had swum around for a while then pulled himself out and told her that he was heading inside to write some music. He didn’t invite her, but she was content to amuse herself. She started a book that she’d recently downloaded and had not had time to read.
A neighboring couple came by for dinner and Shari wondered if Nick had deliberately invited them so that they wouldn’t be alone. She was glad for the chaperones and she enjoyed their company, especially since they were not in the music business and they could chat about things other than music. Seeing Nick relaxed and in his own environment gave her another perspective of him; one that she realized she could very easily fall in love with, if she hadn’t already.
“I’ll stop for lunch soon,” Nick informed her, bringing her back to the present. It was about half past twelve and, from what he’d told her, they’d have a similar amount of time to travel. It would definitely have been easier to fly, but she knew that Nick had been dying to drive one of his babies for a long time. She wondered if he had enjoyed his bed, but she thought it prudent not to ask him.
The attraction between them was already simmering just below the surface, waiting for any break in their defenses to burst through. She hoped that Nick was strong because she was feeling particularly weak at the moment, especially in the presence of this relaxed and attentive side of him.
Nick turned into a long driveway that merged into a roundabout with large trees dominating its grassy center. He pulled up behind a red Range Rover which was parked in front of a two-storey house painted white with grey roof tiles and a large patio enclosed by white handrails. The patio wrapped around two sides of the house and provided ample place to sit and chat in comfortable-looking chairs. All of the sash windows and the doors were open in welcome. Lights were wrapped around the handrails and the columns of the patio and life-sized statues of Santa and his reindeer were off to the side of the house.
“I see that Christmas has arrived at the Badley household,” Nick murmured.
As soon as Nick stopped the car a woman jumped to her feet and hurried down the steps before he had even gotten out properly. She was probably in her late fifties and very attractive with dark hair cut in a fashionable style. She wore an elegant dress which fitted her well.
“Nick, welcome home.” She pulled him into a warm hug.
“Ma, I was home a couple of weeks ago,” he reminded her, returning the hug. Shari let herself out before Nick had the chance to open her door and he drew her over to meet his mother.
“This must be the journalist you told me about,” his mother greeted, extending her hand.
“Yes, this is Shari Goodwin, but she’s more than just a journalist. She’s become my close friend and my conscience.”
His mother laughed.
“I like you already, Shari. Happy Christmas.” She turned the handshake into a hug. Nick’s mother was very demonstrative so that’s probably where he got it from, Shari thought.
“Same to you, Mrs. Badley.” Shari smiled at her, loving her warmth and openness.
“Do call me Doris.”
“I’ll get our bags out.” They’d brought two small bags with just enough stuff for the few days that they would be there. Nick told Shari to pack the minimum so that he could take her shopping. She didn’t know about that. Having him pay for her ticket to Barbados was bad enough; she didn’t want him buying her clothes too.
“Dear, I’ve got a visitor.” Nick’s mother sounded as if she were cautioning him as he slung the bags over his shoulders and gestured for Shari and his mother to precede him up the stairs.
Shari noticed a beautiful blonde woman about her height for the first time. She stood up to greet them. She wore her long blonde hair in a ponytail and her green eyes smiled in a friendly, though somewhat cautious, way. Shari noticed that her eyes went straight to Nick and that her color seemed to heighten a bit. His mother seemed to be waiting for Nick to make the introductions although she was her guest. Nick hesitated for a fraction of a second before dropping the bags and moving to give the woman a big hug.
“Hi, Jo! I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Jo? As in his ex-wife? Shari looked at Jo with fresh eyes.
“Hi, Nick. I just dropped by to bring your parents a gift. I had planned to be gone long before you got here, but you know how it is when your mum and I get to talking.”
“Yes, I do. Jo, this is Shari Goodwin, a friend of mine. She’s also doing a documentary on me. Shari, this is Joanne Blakely, my ex-wife.”
“Hi, Shari. Nice to meet you,” she said, smiling. “Nick’s mum told me about the documentary. How exciting!”
Shari returned her smile although ‘awkward’ was the word she would use to describe the situation. But Jo was so friendly you couldn’t help but like her. She seemed to have gotten over Nick but Shari caught a glimpse of sadness in her eyes that her smile couldn’t quite hide.
“How are you doing?” Nick asked her, watching her closely.
“I’m doing fine, Nick.” He relaxed a bit at that.
“Good. I’m glad.”
“Anyway, I was just leaving. Happy Holidays everyone!” she said gaily, grabbing her bag and giving his mum a quick hug before she headed for the red SUV.
“Shari, come and sit down. You must be tired after that long drive. Not to mention shaking,” she joked. “Is Nick still driving at those ridiculous speeds? I won’t drive with him anymore.”
“Yes he is and I’m not going to drive with him anymore either if he doesn’t slow down. Although I must admit that he did slow down today after I begged him to.”
“You must have great powers of persuasion.”
“I don’t know about that. But I prayed a lot on the way and God obviously touched his heart.” Shari laughed.
“A girl who prays. Nick, this is wonderful.”
“I see that I’m not needed here so I’ll go and take our bags in. Where have you put us?”
“Shari’s in your room and I’ve tidied up the basement for you.”
Nick headed off to deposit the bags, leaving Shari and his mum together. Shari’s eyes followed him before turning back to his mother, only to find her smiling knowingly at her. Shari almost cringed with embarrassment to be caught staring after Nick like a groupie.
“So, how is the documentary coming?”
“Great! It’s turning out really well.”
“And has Nick been behaving himself?”
“I plead the fifth.” Shari smiled at Nick’s mother.
“I don’t know what to say to that b
oy. We’re a church-going family and that’s how Nick came up, but when he reached his teenage years he didn’t want to go anymore. I should have forced him to, but I believe that causes children to rebel even more. But he still rebelled anyway.”
“He told me about that. Many of us who grew up in the church turn away for a while but often come back because the seeds are there,” Shari assured her.
“My dear, I still live in hope for Nick, but the lifestyle that goes with being a musician… I don’t know. Sometimes I’m almost sorry that I gave him his first guitar.”
“Music is in Nick and it would have found expression sooner or later, even if you didn’t give him a guitar. It’s a part of who he is; he just needs to channel it in more positive ways.”
Nick’s mum looked intently at her. Shari almost felt uncomfortable under her scrutiny until she said: “I sense that God has sent you into his life for a reason. In spite of the façade, he needs to be healed and reconciled with God. I know he still feels terrible for the way he treated Jo.”
Shari could tell that she still had a soft spot for Nick’s ex-wife.
“I don’t know why he even married Patti, his second wife,” Doris continued. “I do hope he’ll settle down again with a nice girl who knows the Lord.” She reached over and patted Shari’s hand with a smile.
Shari smiled back tentatively. Where was Nick? This was beyond awkward.
Chapter 27
His dad had come home shortly after they arrived and had also greeted her with a hug once Nick’s mother intimated that she was more than just a journalist. Nick looked quite a lot like his father and got his height from him, even exceeding him by a couple of inches. They obviously got along well and Shari was quick to realize that his father often intervened when his mother got into his space, as she tended to.
Seeing his parents together and their obvious love for each other after years of marriage filled Shari with mixed emotions. She found their teasing of each other and their interaction delightful, and, at the same time, she felt a pang that her mother no longer had someone in her life to give her the same. She now understood when Nick said that he still believed in marriage and wanted the same for himself someday.
Shari had been given the grand tour of the house and gardens by Doris who told her that Nick had insisted on buying it for them a few years before. It wasn’t as grand or as modern as Nick’s, but it was warm and friendly. Doris confided that it was really too big for her and her husband, Bob, but it was times like the Holidays that she appreciated the space.
For the rest of the day Nick’s family arrived and, with them, the quiet that the house had offered disappeared. Shari didn’t mind, although as an only child her house had been quiet except when her friends came over. So she actually enjoyed the loud and boisterous family and their arrival gave her the chance to see Nick in this new role of son, brother and uncle.
Shari could see why they needed the space when Nick’s sisters arrived with their husbands and five children between the two of them. They didn’t look much like him, apart from their dark hair. They were shorter and featured their mother, with trim figures and well-styled hair. No one seemed fazed that she was there, making her wonder if Nick usually brought women home for the Holidays. No one seemed to notice or care that she was of mixed race either and all went out of their way to make her feel welcome.
The family’s tradition was to go to church at midnight on Christmas Eve and have their big lunch on Christmas Day. Shari had a moment of panic when she confessed that she had not brought anything appropriate to wear to church and looked accusingly at Nick. One of his sisters, Natalie, took pity on her and offered to lend her a dress since she had brought a couple of options. They were roughly the same size although Shari was bigger in the bosom, but, thankfully, the dress was quite loose and she was able to wear it with little adjustment. She felt like one of their sisters, borrowing clothes and hanging out together.
Shari had hardly seen Nick since the rest of the family descended on the house. The women had gone off to the kitchen to start preparing food for the next day, taking her with them. The men disappeared to bond and to watch over the kids, knowing that their job was to clean up after lunch the next day.
Shari volunteered to make coleslaw and was busy grating carrots and cutting up cabbage to put in the fridge so that the dressing could be added the next day. The kitchen was full of chatter and camaraderie, making her feel like one of the family. She could easily picture herself coming here every Holiday with Nick. Dangerous thoughts, she cautioned herself. Thankfully, her thoughts were interrupted by Nick’s oldest sister, Jen.
“So, Shari, I understand that you’re working on a documentary about Nick and that you’ll probably want some dirt about him from us.”
Shari laughed.
“Oh, I already have enough dirt about him.” The words just spilled naturally from her mouth before she even realized what she said. She suddenly remembered Nick telling her that his mother still believed he was a good boy and she stopped abruptly before she could put her foot firmly in her mouth.
“You don’t have to look so guilty, dear. I know that my son is no angel. That’s why I’m so delighted that he’s found one in you.”
“Nick and I aren’t together in that way,” Shari hastened to tell her. “We’re just friends and I don’t even know if I can even use that word either.”
Nick chose that moment to walk into the kitchen to check on Shari and was pleased to hear his mother’s words as he approached. He was less pleased to hear Shari’s because that meant she was still not taking him seriously. He obviously needed to shift into another gear to let her know that he meant business.
Coming up behind her as she cut up cabbage, he put his arms around her and kissed her neck in front of his mother and sisters. Shari’s mouth fell open in shock and she could feel her face becoming hot under the scrutiny of the ladies in the kitchen.
“We’re not just friends, Shari; we’re more than friends.”
Nick’s mother smiled delightedly even as Shari tried to squirm out of Nick’s arms. Nick had mercy on her and let her go as she scowled at him over her shoulder, her look promising repercussions later.
“That’s great news!” His sisters beamed their approval.
Shari wasn’t sure what they thought Nick meant. She wasn’t even sure what he meant and, although she enjoyed being a part of their family for the Holidays, she had no illusions that this would become a permanent arrangement.
“I just came to check to see that they weren’t making you uncomfortable, Shari, although I know that you can hold your own.”
“I’m fine. We were just about to get into some dirt on you from your childhood days,” she teased him.
Nick groaned as his sisters vied to tell stories about him.
“I need to vet what goes into this documentary,” Nick warned. “There are some things that I wouldn’t want my fans to know.”
“They can’t be any worse than what they already know,” said Shari drily.
Nick was shooed out of the kitchen so that the ladies could continue their preparations and their grilling of Shari.
“I like you, Shari,” Natalie, his younger sister, said when Nick had left. The others nodded in agreement. “From what I’ve seen so far, you don’t treat Nick like a celebrity and you’re not in his face all the time. He hates to be fussed over.” She looked pointedly at her mother who was oblivious to the hint.
“I think that was partly the problem with Jo. That’s his ex-wife as you probably know by now,” added Jen.
“Jo was over earlier so they met.”
“That must have been awkward,” Jen sympathized. “Jo is wonderful, but she doted on Nick too much and I think he felt stifled. That’s probably why he’s attracted to you. You give him space.”
Shari couldn’t believe that these women were openly discussing Nick’s private life with someone that they’d just met. Did they feel that comfortable with her? Did they know somethi
ng that she didn’t? What she did know was that their confidences made her feel as if they had accepted her into the family and it was a wonderful feeling, but would she ever be a part of their family?
Shari woke on Christmas morning to squeals of delight from the children as they tore into the presents that they received from the family. She hurriedly showered and dressed and made her way downstairs to where the family was gathered to open gifts. She had brought a gift for Nick’s parents and for Nick, but she felt bad that she hadn’t brought anything for the children, not that she’d known their ages or anything.
Her eyes met Nick’s as she entered the room and she called “Good morning” to everyone before she settled on the couch next to him. He put his arm around her shoulders and drew her close. Together they watched the children opening their presents and thanking the family for the gifts. Nick pulled her to her feet and asked for them to be excused before leading her to the deck overlooking the pool.
“When I see the kids opening their presents I can’t help but think that I could have had a kid to get excited ripping open presents as well.”
“I’m so sorry, Nick. I guess coming back here stirs up the memories.” He nodded.
“Do you want kids?” He asked.
“Someday, yes. I love kids.”
“Good. I’m glad you’re here, Shari. My mum and sisters love you and my brothers-in-law think you’re exotic-looking because of your mixed race.”
Shari laughed at that, even as she wondered what he meant when he said ‘good’.
“It’s weird, but I feel as if I’ve known them for a long time and I almost feel a part of your family, although I’m here primarily to do interviews which I haven’t even started yet.” She groaned because she had been neglecting her work. Also, she thought over what she said and she hoped Nick didn’t take it the wrong way.
“I’m glad you feel that way,” he said with satisfaction. Then he handed her a slim long box that he had held in his hand. “Merry Christmas.” He leaned over and kissed her on her lips, lingering for a few seconds as if contemplating taking the kiss further. At last he drew back and it gave her satisfaction to see that it took him considerable effort. She gave him a small, square box that she had held in her hand as well.